It is known to employ the fiber optics microbend effect to measure displacement, force, or any parameter which results in a fiber optic deformation. Small bends in a fiber optic fiber cause loss of radiation through the fiber cladding and can be detected by the attenuation of radiation carried by the optical fiber. Microbend transducers typically comprise a pair of plates each with rows of parallel ridges or teeth arranged to mesh with one another when the plates are moved together and a fiber optic element between the plates extending transverse to the teeth so that the teeth can deform the fiber into an undulating form. The amount of microbending and the amount of attenuation thus depends on the plate separation and thus the force, displacement or other agent which controls plate separation. Another factor affecting the attenuation is the tooth alignment of the plates. Thus for predictable and repeatable results the plates must be precisely assembled and maintained in alignment. Alignment problems have been the major drawback in microbend sensors.